


11:59:59pm

by MyMisguidedFairytale



Series: The R4 Universe [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Contest Entry, F/F, Horror, One Shot, Suspense, Unrealistic Crime Solving Processes, danceshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2019-08-19 13:25:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16535396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyMisguidedFairytale/pseuds/MyMisguidedFairytale
Summary: Three Murders. Two witnesses. Mai Kujaku and Anzu Mazaki are brought downtown to give testimony to the grisly events they’ve witnessed, but when the killer decides to involve them, the two must work together to keep themselves alive. // AU, Danceshipping





	11:59:59pm

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written 04-03-10 for the YGO Fanfiction Contest on ff.net, for the fourth round of the seventh season, with the challenge pairing of Danceshipping (Anzu x Mai). The story and its notes are reproduced below as they first appeared.
> 
> A/N: For round four of the YGO Fanfiction Contest. This is very much an AU. Anzu and Mai are still themselves, but the events of canon have no basis on this story. Several canon characters are used entirely out of their original context. There are also a few minor OC's. I'm mixing things up this round with something really creepy and dark. This story obviously contains some pretty dark subject matter. Consider this your warning for all of the above!
> 
> Dedicated to the wonderful _Fleeting Illicit Delicious_.

* * *

_****_

_**11:59:59pm** _

__  


"Anzu? Be sure to lock up, ok?"

"Don't worry about it!" Anzu called back as her fellow dance instructor at the Domino Ballet Academy waved before leaving Anzu alone in the large, mirrored room. She could hear her friend's footsteps echoing down the stairway to the main floor, and Anzu shivered before continuing her routine. She hated being left alone for any length of time; dancing was one of the only things that made it bearable.

If she had any other choice she wouldn't be staying at the studio this late, but one of the perks—the _only_ perk—of teaching the latest class was that Anzu got to use the studio after she was done, and otherwise it would have been far too expensive to rent the facility for herself to practice during any normal daylight hour. It wasn't even safe this late at night; the staff entrance for the studio sat off of a dirty, dingy alley, and Anzu always worried each time she had to walk the nine blocks back to her apartment.

She banished the thought from her mind as she stretched into a _developpé_ and spun, frowning at the stiffness in her muscles. It had been a long day and she was tired, that was it.

She had no sooner spun again when a thin, piercing scream cut through the painted cinderblock walls and tore through the silence that had only been occupied by the sounds of Anzu's ballet shoes thudding against the wooden floor. She recognized the voice instantly, it was Rebecca, her friend, and ran for the window, fighting the glare of the fluorescent lighting to see what was happening outside. She lifted it open and stuck her head out as a single gunshot permeated the air. It was almost louder than the scream. Anzu's eyes widened at what she saw.

She was close enough to barely make out the expression on Rebecca's face, half surprise and half anguish, but Anzu was drawn to the growing circle of red in the middle of her ribcage, the wound almost blossoming like a rose. Slowly, Rebecca's body crumpled to the ground, and Anzu could see the figure that stood behind her. He wore a mask, that much was plain, but it was so oddly shaped and colored in the strangest pattern of stripes, and Anzu's breath caught in her throat as he _lifted his head and looked straight at her_.

Anzu belatedly realized that standing in a lighted window so close to a murderer was not the most safe idea, but her thoughts at the moment were only for Rebecca, and her own safety, and Anzu slammed the window shut, wobbled her way over to her purse and fumbled for her cell phone before running for the supply closet and locking herself inside, the beating of her heart seeming every bit as loud as her shoes tapping away on the wooden floor. She dialed the number she'd hoped she'd never have to, and felt relief flood her entire body upon hearing the voice on the other end.

"Emergency services?"

"Y-Yes." Anzu's voice was shaky. "I'd like to report a murder. 32nd and Park. The alley behind the Domino Ballet Academy. P-please hurry, I think he saw me."

"We'll be there in a few minutes, miss, please try to remain calm and stay somewhere safe until help arrives for you."

She clutched the phone to her ear tightly, _waiting_ —but for _what_ she didn't know—and the next few minutes to Anzu felt like the longest of her life.

* * *

"She _saw_ him?"

Lieutenant Shuzo Ohtaki of the Domino Police Force was not surprised that yet _another_ murder had been called in from that particular part of Domino. His men could not be everywhere at once, and he stared at the crumpled piece of paper on his desk with barely concealed distaste. Their target had evaded them yet again, and every success of the murderer's was one more failure for him.

The night seemed to be working in their favor, for the moment at least, as the most recent murder actually had a _witness_ , and she was being brought in to the station as he sat there, all but twiddling his thumbs for lack of usefulness.

Lieutenant Ohtaki hung up the phone and left his office, hovering before the lobby. Several other police officers occupied the space, and the brother of the earliest victim was there, and he did _not_ want to get involved with _him_ ; looked like a street thug himself. Had a file to boot, but it would've been completely callous to act on it, considering the circumstances, Ohtaki figured.

The other girl sat across the wide lobby, as far away from the ranting blond as she could. _Victim number three_. Ohtaki got an odd feeling from looking at her. She was awfully calm for someone who was just lucky to be alive.

She'd already given her testimony—poker dealer in one of the shadier and most certainly illegal underground gambling clubs in Domino. She'd just left for the night when she'd been attacked from behind, but she was lucky that she'd had time to grab the can of pepper spray from her purse and give the attacker a good blast of it. She'd wandered into the street, nearly unconscious, and a police car had just happened to drive past and caught her.

Lieutenant Ohtaki turned his gaze back towards the front door, where Officer Kogoro was walking in with the witness. He went to meet the girl, introducing himself and offering her a handshake which she didn't accept. He sighed sympathetically; she still must be dazed. He gestured for her to sit down on a bench next to the other witness and told Kogoro to get her some coffee. Better yet, get them _all_ coffee; this had all the makings of a rough night.

He pulled a pen and a small pad of paper from his jacket pocket.

"Can I have your name?"

"Mazaki Anzu." Anzu's voice sounded hollow, even to her.

"Address? Employment? What were you doing at the time of the, ah, incident?" He asked the questions with as much kindness as he could, jotting down the responses and accepting Kogoro's cup of coffee. The two girls did the same, although Anzu didn't drink any, just twisted her hands around the Styrofoam rim of the cup.

Anzu answered the questions slowly, telling the Lieutenant everything he wanted to know. His methodical questioning made everything sound so _clinical_ , when all Anzu could think about was Rebecca's face, and the way her body fell on the cracked pavement, and she clenched the coffee cup harder.

"Can you describe the attacker for us, please?"

Anzu took a deep breath. "He was tall…about as tall as you, I think." She gestured to Kogoro. "He wore really nice clothes…some kind of suit…blue or black, I don't know, it was dark. But I could see his mask really well."

"Mask?" This was new to Ohtaki. He scribbled everything down, committing it to memory at the same time, making plans to review his case notes even as Anzu continued talking.

"Yeah, mask. It covered his entire upper face, and kind of curved out at the sides, near his ears…like this." She tried to mimic the shape weakly with one hand, then dropped it back into her lap. "It was striped…maybe brown, blue, yellow, really odd colors. But it was dark, and hard to see…"

"Thank you. You've been a greater help than you know," Ohtaki said.

The girl next to Anzu paused her careful drinking of her coffee to slam her fist onto the side of the bench. "We'd _know_ something if you'd only _tell_ us."

Anzu turned and looked at the girl with surprise. It was the first she'd really noticed that there was someone else seated next to her at all; she'd been so caught up with remembering what had happened and trying to forget it at the same time that now that she'd noticed the blonde woman it was hard to ignore her.

"Excuse me," Anzu asked. "But who are you?"

"Kujaku Mai," she answered stiffly. " _Now_ , Lieutenant, I'd like to know, if-you-please, why exactly I was attacked tonight and what you plan on doing about it!"

"…What?" Anzu looked on with added surprise. She'd only witnessed the act, but to have almost been a part of it…she shuddered. It was too real to comprehend.

"We would like to share the case details with you, miss, but unfortunately, that information is classified," Officer Kogoro answered complacently.

"It can't hurt," Ohtaki shrugged.

"But, sir!"

"I have the right to know why I was attacked, and who did it!" Mai argued pointedly.

"Any suspects?" Ohtaki asked Kogoro.

"One, sir, but—"

Ohtaki sighed. "Better than nothing. Listen, you two follow me. You are both under our protection until this case closes. We feel that this killer may not be quite done with the two of you yet, but not if we have anything to say about it."

Mai and Anzu followed Ohtaki to his office, where he sat behind his desk and gestured to the two chairs in front. Kogoro closed the door behind them and sat in a third chair closer to the window.

"As I'm sure you've figured out, we're dealing with a serial killer here. I've decided that keeping you in the dark will not adversely affect your safety, and it'd be nice to get another perspective on the information we have before he strikes again. He appears to be profiling young woman like yourselves." Ohtaki's voice was rhythmic, like he was reciting the ingredients in a cookbook recipe rather than the patterns of a killer.

"And?" Mai prompted.

"This person is unique for many reasons. First, they had prematurely issued the station a challenge. See, he _wanted_ us to try and catch him. He's been eluding us at every step, which is why we've got to protect the two of you at all costs." Ohtaki nodded at Kogoro. "Read the letter."

"Sir, is this really wise—"

"Read the letter," Ohtaki repeated.

Officer Kogoro frowned, but reached over to grasp the slightly crinkled piece of computer paper off of Ohtaki's desk, and read the printed message aloud.

" _Three shall die by the stroke of twelve on the fourth date,_

_One by blade, one by bullet, one will suffocate!_

_To the officers in blue, don't wait,_

_Try and stop me—don't be late!_ "

Kogoro stopped, then set the letter down. "It's the fourth of the month. We received the letter yesterday."

"Rebecca was shot," Anzu found herself saying.

"The first girl was found stabbed to death," Ohtaki said. "My conclusion is that this killer, whoever he is, is playing, um…a game."

"A _game_?" The officer's mouth had tightened and the incredulity in his voice had broken into a righteous fury. "The suspect?" Ohtaki asked, cynically optimistic.

"We've got just the one so far in a holding cell. Name's Panik."

"That hulking brute of a man? Sure, he's strong enough to have committed the murders, but he doesn't fit the profile. Didn't seem clever enough. How do we know if he's the right man?"

Mai spoke up, and Anzu was surprised her voice was so steady, considering all that she had been though. Anzu could hardly keep the cup of watery coffee in her hands from shaking.

"I've got bruises," Mai said. "On my neck. You can check the finger marks against his hands…if they're the same size, then he's your guy." She leaned against the back of the chair.

"Do you mind?"

Mai seemed unconcerned, but Anzu could tell by the way that she held her breath before she unfolded the high collar of her jacket that she was anything but. The dark purplish color of the bruises matched her jacket. And Mai was right—the finger marks were clearly visible.

"Panik's not our man," Ohtaki concluded. He had leaned forward to study the marks. "These were made by someone with much smaller hands. The fingers are very long, like a piano player's."

Mai reached up and touched the edge of one of the bruises with a fingertip, then winced and pulled her collar back up to her chin.

"We believe," Ohtaki said, "that this killer will target you again, Ms. Kujaku. It is nine forty-eight." Anzu looked up, and could see the second hand of the clock on the wall above their heads ticking away. "We have two hours and twelve minutes to keep you safe. At this point, the killer knows everything we do, but we've stepped up security around the perimeter and our officers are combing the city to find this man. It can't be that hard to find a weirdo in a mask, right?"

"What about me?" Anzu asked. Her voice felt small, and she took a sip of the coffee quickly for energy. It tasted terrible and she was surprised it was still warm.

"We can have someone take you home, miss, if you want," Ohtaki offered.

She didn't understand why, but this made Anzu angrier than she'd expected. "No! I mean, I want to stay. I want to see this through. I just…I…don't want to be alone right now. Even if that means staying in a cell, or something." She meant it with sarcasm, but Officer Kogoro's eyes lit up.

"Hey, that's a pretty good idea! It's the most secure place except the safe, and we can hardly fit a person in there, let alone two."

Ohtaki felt it again. That strange feeling, like when he looked at Mai Kujaku. That something was a little odd, a little too convenient. He paused. He supposed he should call that type of feeling a _hunch_ , but he couldn't figure out _why_.

"It makes sense." He scratched his chin. "Release Panik, if we don't have anything on him."

"Will do." Kogoro left the office, and Ohtaki leaned back in his chair. "Is that alright with you two? It's hardly comfortable, and can get like a refrigerator at night, but he's right, it's probably the safest place in the facility. I can have guards posted—I'd guard you myself, but I'll be watching the entrances to see how the killer will try to get inside—or if our guess is wrong and he picks another target, I'll be investigating another murder in a few hours."

"You won't be wrong," Anzu said. "I agree, I think that sounds…safest," she concluded lamely, wondering just why she'd signed up for this. Wasn't sticking around _more_ dangerous? Sure, the killer had seen her, but how was he to know who she was? It was just paranoid, thinking some masked stranger was going to show up at her apartment just in time for tomorrow's dinner. But…she paused. It wouldn't be _too_ difficult to figure out who she was if he knew what building the Dance Academy was. She was the only other evening instructor on the roster. She felt her mouth suddenly go dry. No! There was no use thinking like this. Everything was going to be fine…every _one_ was going to be ok.

"We'll stay here until eleven," Ohtaki said. "Then, we'll move you into the most secure cell. It's likely that the killer will wait until the very last possible moment to strike."

They still had an hour. "What are we going to do?" Mai asked.

Ohtaki reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a deck of cards. "Anyone want to play War?"

Mai grinned wickedly. "Never challenge a professional card dealer, to _any_ game."

* * *

At exactly 11:01, the two girls were led down a maze of narrow hallways and one metal staircase until they arrived at the bank of holding cells. The entire space made Anzu feel slightly claustrophobic; like these solid walls of metal and thick bolts—electronically sealed—would sooner swallow her whole than protect her. Ohtaki assured them both that he would have the only key to unlock the space, and not only would their door be locked, but so would the main door to the entire wing. There would be no way in.

Anzu realized that the same applied that there would be no way out, should something happen. She shivered again.

"You cold?"

Anzu looked up at Mai and nodded.

"Hey, Lieutenant!" Mai snapped. "Just like you said, it's freezing in here! Get us some blankets, ok?"

Ohtaki was opening a small supply closet, and tossed them each a fleece blanket. They were standard-issue, gray, and slightly scratchy, but they smelled clean and Anzu anticipated the warmth they promised.

"Thanks," she told him.

"This cell will be yours." He swung the door open. "I'm the only one with the key to open the main door, and yours is PIN-encrypted. If anyone's getting through here, it'll be me to get you out in an hour. Relax. You'll be fine. That's Officer Daimon at the door. Yell at him if you feel like it."

Anzu trudged into the cell. The floor was uneven concrete, and a single fluorescent lightbulb lit the room. A low bench wrapped its way around the walls, and Anzu went to sit as far away from the door as she could. She looked up to see Ohtaki closing the door, with one final optimistic wave and a smile, and then the resolute _clunk_ of the lock sliding into place. With it, Anzu felt a little better. At least she wasn't alone.

Mai moved to sit beside her, the blanket wrapped around her upper arms. "Hey, it's not so bad. This is almost better than my apartment," she joked.

Anzu managed a grin. "Mine, too."

"I know." Mai winked. "We've even got a butler! Hey, Daimon! Where's the room service?"

Officer Daimon never responded, but Mai and Anzu could have been giggling too loud to notice. "Hey," Anzu said. "Why is it that you're so calm? I feel awful. I know if I had just been attacked, I'd be feeling a lot more…"

"Frightened?" Mai finished. Anzu nodded. "Well," she continued. "It's not that I don't. It's just that I don't have much to fear. He targeted us all for a reason, you know. Working class-girls wandering around the streets of Domino in the middle of the night? No one's going to miss us. We don't have a lot going for us, anyway. I live through tonight, I'll just go back to what I do every day. Might be nice to escape it. Didn't even hurt all that much." One of her hands went up to her neck, idly tracing the bruises there.

Anzu stood up suddenly, gaping at Mai. "How can you _say_ that? I— _I'd_ miss you, for starters! And if you're so against your situation, then _do_ something about it! I am! I mean, I'm only teaching at the Domino Academy to pay the bills, but I've been practicing every day, and I've actually got an audition! With a _real_ company!" Mai watched the fire return to Anzu's eyes as she talked about her ballet.

"Keep talking about dancing," Mai told her. Anzu did. "I don't _want_ to live in Domino all my life! I want to travel the world and dance in every capital!" The idea struck Mai as comical, but Anzu was completely serious. "And I'll dance for adoring crowds instead of my mirror!"

Mai stifled a laugh. "Feel better?"

Anzu found that she did. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Anzu found that she couldn't. "Now it's my turn! What do I have to do to make you want to live again?"

"Hmm." Mai turned pensive. "I suppose if I can't live for myself I'll have to live for someone else. Give me a front-row ticket to your first major performance, and I swear I'll be there."

Anzu grinned. "Done!"

They sat in companionable silence for a moment. Then Anzu spoke up:

"Hey, do you know how much time's left? I'm not wearing a watch."

"I don't know." Mai said. "Me either."

* * *

Ohtaki had just finished a walk of the perimeter. Everyone was in place. It was almost midnight…that unsettled feeling returned to his stomach. He walked in a side door after checking with the officer stationed there and made his way back to the lobby. There had been no attempt yet. That meant that either the perpetrator wasn't coming…or he was already inside.

Officer Kogoro was drinking a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Kogoro," Ohtaki said. "Where's everyone else? Aren't Oshita and Chikuzen supposed to be guarding this entrance, too?"

"Yes," He answered.

"Then where are they?" Ohtaki frowned.

"They left," he said.

Ohtaki frowned. This wasn't like them. "What, the bathroom? More coffee? The liquor store?"

Kogoro's face darkened. "No, Lieutenant, I told you. They _left_. This _Earth_."

He moved, and Ohtaki could see the funny red footprints that followed. More smudged footprints ran from one of the conference rooms; the door was closed. Ohtaki wondered why he didn't notice it before. His gun was out and pointed at Kogoro.

"Officer Kogoro, do not move."

"But I can talk, right?" He watched Ohtaki indulgently. "And please, stop calling me Kogoro." He stretched. _"_ It's Arcana, _if_ you don't mind."

"I said, _don't move_." Ohtaki shouted, but Arcana ran his fingers around the side of his head and, with a look of minor annoyance, flipped the wig off. Underneath, his hair was a light brown and very short. He reached in a pocket and withdrew the mask— _piano player's fingers_ , Ohtaki thought briefly—before Arcana slowly pulled it over the top of his head.

Ohtaki released the safety. "I _said_ —"

"Lieutenant, you bore me," Arcana said. "You'll find the real Kogoro somewhere…hmm, not quite sure. I intercepted him when Mazaki called Emergency Services. I studied him for _weeks_ before I sent the letter. Convincing, right? I planned _everything_ out. You're very predictable, you know. Not very much of a challenge." He laughed.

Ohtaki felt his fingers clench around the gun. "You're out of time." He gestured to the clock on the wall above the main door with his elbow, eyes still locked on Arcana's.

"Yes. About that." His grin widened. "I set all of the clocks forward ten minutes while you were first putting Kujaku and Mazaki in the cell—my idea, remember? So I've got nothing but time."

Ohtaki fired, but anger made his aim sloppy and Arcana was fast. The bullet only grazed his shoulder, and Arcana had yanked the gun from Ohtaki's hands and had it pressed to his back before he even knew what was happening.

"You are only alive, Lieutenant," Arcana said, "because of this." He reached with his left hand to the electronic key on a lanyard around Ohtaki's neck, and slipped it over his head.

"…And now that it's gone…"

He fired.

* * *

"Hey, did you hear that?" Anzu sat up from leaning against the wall. It was still cold, but the waiting was excruciating.

"Hear what?" Mai asked.

"Oh. I could've sworn I—never mind. I guess it's nothing."

* * *

Officer Daimon looked at his watch, scratching the back of his head with his other hand and sighing in relief. Two minutes to go. He could hear someone on the landing of the staircase above him, and assumed it must be the Lieutenant. The pace of the steps was a little strange, very slow.

"Hey, Lieutenant!" Daimon called. "About time! Bring me some donuts, I'm starvi—"

He stopped at the abrupt sight of Arcana, descending the steps with the stolen gun pointed straight at him. He was so tall the top of his head—mask, Daimon corrected—almost brushed the top of the oddly sloped ceiling.

"If I _didn't_ already _know_ where the two of them were, your shouting certainly would have alerted me to their location." His voice didn't match his body; it was high-pitched—no accent, but a strange lilting tone, like he was scolding them just for being alive.

"What?" Daimon could hardly believe it. They'd failed…but he didn't have the—

Arcana dangled the electronic pass-key before Daimon's eyes. "This? Now, get out of my way. You're inconsequential."

Daimon turned and shouted past the door's bars, "He's here! Run! Do somethin—"

Arcana slammed the side of the pistol into Daimon's head, and he fell to the ground.

* * *

They both sat up straight this time. Anzu looked at Mai, and they both scooted for the very back of the cell. They'd heard Daimon, loud and clear. _He's here. Run_.

_Run where?_

"Come on!" Mai screamed. "I dare you!"

Anzu had her eyes screwed tight, her shaking fingers clamped over her ears. "I did not just hear you say that," she whispered.

"Anzu." Mai grasped one of her hands tightly.

"You don't have to be afraid of anything," Mai said fiercely. "You have me."

Before either of them could utter another word, Arcana appeared in the hallway. The door had bars covering the top half, so anyone could clearly look in or out. Arcana looked annoyed, waving the pass-key before the door. Nothing happened.

Up close, Arcana looked different to Anzu. More familiar, in a way, but Anzu blinked, trying to clear her head. It wasn't working. She felt terrified.

"How?"

"How, she asks?" He laughed. "I had _plenty_ of time. I was even wearing my police uniform, at the time, but you didn't see it!" His grin seemed to split his face in two. The mask was even brighter than she remembered it being. The stitching was uneven, so the stripes traveled in every direction, crossing his forehead and wrapping around his cheeks. To Anzu, it made him look like some kind of devil.

" _Now_ you know why I didn't want you reading my letter. Wasn't meant for you. I'd wanted you to die, before. Now, I want you to die very...very...slowly."

Anzu grasped Mai's hand tighter, but Mai shouted, "Kogoro! That's it! What have you done to the Lieutenant!"

"His just desserts!" Arcana replied in a sing-song tone. "Now…I've got a little problem here, as I'm sure you can see." He waved the gun in the air. "I've _got_ to fulfill my challenge in the next…forty seconds. I can't get to you, but you can come to me."

He stretched one hand through the bars. "So, Miss Kujaku, you get to decide how to die. You can let me shoot you, right here. Or, you can come over _here_ , and let me strangle you. _Your_ decision. But you've got…fifteen seconds to decide." He tapped his foot impatiently.

Anzu's eyes widened, and she looked up at Mai. She gave Anzu's hand a brief squeeze before dropping it and standing up. "Fine. Have it your way."

Anzu saw Mai's open purse on the bench beside her, and the open can of pepper spray tucked into her belt.

"Mai, don't!"

"Or what?"

"Seven seconds," Arcana reminded them.

Mai gritted her teeth. "I can count just fine, thanks."

"Interesting last words," Arcana deadpanned. "Four seconds."

Mai walked closer, but before she could be within his reach a figure appeared in the previously empty hall doorway, a raised gun in his hands. Mai recognized him instantly.

_The Lieutenant!_

"Arcana."

He turned, the stunned look on his face only growing as Lieutenant Ohtaki fired.

"Time's up."

Mai staggered backwards, and Anzu ran forward to wrap her arms around the other woman as Arcana fell backwards, hitting the wall, grinning in satisfaction as he stumbled to the ground, the area right above his heart blossoming in a growing circle of deep red.

"So it is…"

Ohtaki kicked the gun out of Arcana's limp fingers before rapidly punching in the keycode and opening the door. "Hurry!"

Anzu and Mai didn't need to be told twice. They ran, and Ohtaki ushered them up the staircase, past a just-regaining-consciousness Daimon and several other unknown police officers. They didn't stop until they had arrived at Ohtaki's office.

"Are you two ok?" He looked away guiltily. "I should've been with you. I was wearing a vest…didn't even get a scratch. If I'd known it was Kogoro…Arcana," he corrected. "The real Kogoro will be found. As for you, are you ok?"

Anzu took a deep breath, but Mai answered for her.

"We will be. We both will be."

Ohtaki nodded. "That's good to hear. It's exactly," he looked at his digital watch, "11:59:59. Look at that. What a coincidence. Well, now it's tomorrow. I mean, today." He sighed.

"Would you two like a ride home?"

After everything they had been through, that sounded wonderful.

* * *

Seated in the back of a police cruiser, driving down Main Street, Anzu had never felt more at ease. She was almost deliriously happy—like she had her life back, suddenly. Her _real_ life. No more wasted performances in front of mirrors. She glanced at Mai, who smiled back.

"So, where to?" Ohtaki asked.

"Um, my apartment's at 110 Orchard Street," Anzu said, just as Mai answered, "110 Orchard."

They both glanced at one another, speechless.

Ohtaki laughed, turning left at a stoplight. "Is that so?"

* * *

110 Orchard Street was a six-story apartment building. They walked into the elevator together, and Anzu punched number four. Mai pressed the button for the fifth floor.

Suddenly, it was like before again. Anzu didn't want to be alone, ever. She came to that realization when the doors for her floor opened and she didn't get off.

They closed.

"Can I—?"

Mai grinned as the doors opened again.

"You're welcome anytime, Anzu."

****

**End.**

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I surprise myself sometimes; that was super creepy, even for me! I cast Arcana/Pandora as the killer because…well…he's bizarre and costumed in a way like a comic supervillain.
> 
> And, just to see if anyone was paying attention, the names of all of the Officers were taken from the Japanese names of the Big Five. I needed names, and well, there they were. They're not the same people, they just have the same names. I have a weird sense of humor xD
> 
> Reviews would be valued and appreciated!
> 
> ~Jess


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